The surname Meade, found in Ireland and England has two origins. The name Meade may be a topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, deriving from the Middle English term mede meaning “ a meadow.” The name Meade may also be of occupational origin denoting a brewer or seller of Mead, a medieval alcoholic drink made from honey. The name is first recorded in Oxford in 1180. In Ireland the name is found chiefly in counties Meath and Clare. The name is first recorded in the New World in 1635 when William Meade arrived in Massachusetts.